5 things you probably didn’t know about Amritsari cuisine

We toured the city, one plate at a time

When I set about on a culinary tour in Amritsar, my idea of Amritsari food was that it was just another Punjabi cuisine, seeped in spices and lots of meat. But that changed quickly as I hopped from one dhaba and restaurant to another with executive chef Saurabh Singh from Taj Swarna. We tasted everything, from local street eats, chaats, traditional desserts to the food at his restaurant Grand Trunk that he has curated after “eating at local joints over 15 times each.” These are the five things I learn about the cuisine.

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There is more than one variety of chole
Look closely and you will see how there are many versions of this Punjabi staple eaten from morning until dinner hour. “Breakfast chole is lighter in texture, uses less spices and is darker in colour, while chole eaten during lunch or dinner is thicker, has a fuller body and is a delicious motley of spices,” informs Singh. Both the kinds are eaten with puri or kulcha, which in Amritsar is more bread-like than roti.

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We have our own version of fish and chipsWhile any cuisine serving batter-fried fish has a gloopy batter that is used to dip the fish in before it is fried, Amritsari fish, a must-try here, is simply coated with ginger and garlic and a little bit of rice and gram flour before it is fried. “There is no thick batter, just a dry powder that gives it a crusty texture. Sole is the preferred choice of fish,” shares Singh.

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Lactose avoiders, this is not a place for youAnyone with a problem with milk will have a tough time here. Amritsari cuisine is rich in dairy products. From the original Indian breakfast smoothie or lassi and mattha, to kulfis available in various forms—plated, like a popsicle, crushed like a cream stone and so on—there is no escaping dairy. Milk and yoghurt is also appears abundantly in sweets, marinades and as a part of breakfast.

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Chicken tikka here is not your ordinary chicken tikkaDue to its proximity to Pakistan and Afghanistan, not only will you find a lot of ingredients from the neighbouring countries—sharp spices, milky white mushrooms and dry fruits—a lot of cuisine too is influenced by them. Case in point, the chicken tikka here, which is not made like everywhere else in the country using a base of yoghurt or cream. “Instead, it is quite rough and rustic, coated with a combination of cloves, nutmeg and pattar ke phool and isn’t red in colour!” says Singh.

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They love soya as much as their meatAmericans are not the only ones going after faux meat. In Amritsar, soya is cooked with as much gusto as meat. The protein takes every form imaginable—from a juicy chaap à la mutton chaap to soya pilaf finished with fried onion. You will even find it being served as a part of the delicious langar at the Golden Temple, which houses the world’s biggest kitchen.